| This was by far the best of the ghost tours | | | | of the headstones when I heard my mother's |
| we did in Tasmania in terms of both the | | | | voice from behind us saying "I'll just stay |
| overall experience and the activity | | | | here if you don't mind." Now my mother |
| encountered.Alan, the guide, is passionate | | | | usually loves to wander around cemeteries |
| about his subject matter both the paranormal | | | | reading the headstones, so this was unusual. |
| and the historical stories. He really seems | | | | Then I heard my brother say something like |
| to love what he is doing and that enthusiasm | | | | "Oh!" when he reached the same point. Talking |
| is bound to influence the experience. He was | | | | to him later, he said it was like something |
| extremely flexible about time, not marching | | | | had washed over him, a feeling not dissimilar |
| us around the locations according to a fixed | | | | to what I had felt at Highfield. Like walking |
| schedule that would not be varied regardless | | | | through a wall of cold water, except it |
| of what happened. If it seemed like something | | | | wasn't wet and wasn't precisely cold either. |
| was happening or might be about to kick off, | | | | I felt nothing. I was completely fine with |
| he was willing to wait a bit, assuming that | | | | wandering around in that cemetery in the |
| was what we wanted. Then again, if we wanted | | | | middle of the night.We left the cemetery at |
| to get the heck out of location, he was ok | | | | that point so Alan could tell the associated |
| with that too. What was supposed to be a 1.5 | | | | stories from the side of the road where my |
| hour tour ended up being about 2.5 hours | | | | mother would be able to hear them without |
| (though we did not beat the 3 hour tour he | | | | coming into the place. He'd just started |
| had done recently. Next time, I might have to | | | | telling the stories when he noticed that she |
| try harder. ).The quality of tours seems to | | | | was in tears. She said she could not explain |
| be as dependent on the make-up of the group | | | | it, that she just felt really sad. We moved |
| you are with (including the tour guide) as it | | | | up the road a bit and to the other side to |
| is on the base activity level of the | | | | put a bit more distance between her and it |
| locations visited. We were lucky with this | | | | and then continued. I should probably mention |
| tour in that we were the only people on it. | | | | that by this point we only had one of the 3 |
| The other(s) had cancelled at the last | | | | torches working. The others had all stopped |
| moment. While one theory says that more | | | | working along the way, starting at the gaol, |
| people=more energy that the spirits can use | | | | if I remember correctly. By the end of the |
| to manifest, my theory is that the smaller | | | | tour this last one was failing too.Later that |
| and more focused the group, the more activity | | | | evening, after she had calmed down somewhat, |
| you are likely to see. Especially on touristy | | | | she was able to tell us what she had picked |
| things like ghost tours.Assume, for the rest | | | | up. There was, she said, a man in that |
| of this story, that there are bits of history | | | | cemetery. He was lost. He had been there for |
| of the area scattered throughout everything | | | | a long time. He was looking for something and |
| we were told. While I absorbed the | | | | had been looking for it for a long time, but |
| information, I really couldn't tell you now | | | | what he was looking for wasn't there. He knew |
| what I was told where in a lot of cases. If | | | | that, but he couldn't (or wouldn't) get out |
| you want to know about the history of the | | | | of that loop. And he didn't want our help.The |
| area, look it up ... or go to Richmond and | | | | next day my brother and I went into Richmond |
| ask Alan about it. The latter will be more | | | | Gaol. My mother flatly refused to enter the |
| entertaining.From the point of view of the | | | | place after her experience the previous |
| paranormal, the tour started with the story | | | | night. I was a little uneasy about it myself |
| some of Alan's own experiences living in the | | | | (which might say more about what a good job |
| town. I love hearing first hand the story of | | | | Alan did with his storytelling than the |
| people's experiences. Firstly it has a lot | | | | actual activity level of the location) but I |
| more immediacy than the story of what was | | | | wasn't letting that stop me and nothing |
| experienced by someone you've never met an | | | | happened while we were in there. Still, I |
| indeterminate period of time ago. But perhaps | | | | didn't actually walk into any of the |
| as importantly, it gives me the opportunity | | | | individual men's solitary cells, which is |
| to ask questions, both to extract more | | | | allegedly the most active area. Being |
| information and to evaluate whether the story | | | | somewhat claustrophobic, I chickened out and |
| I'm being told is complete rot, made up out | | | | settled for standing outside the doorway of |
| of whole cloth from a book of old stories | | | | each and looking inside. For some reason that |
| that the teller picked up in a second-hand | | | | I can't remember now, I also do not seem to |
| bookshop.I asked a lot of questions. In fact, | | | | have taken any photos of the place by |
| I did that through most of the tour. It was a | | | | daylight. It might have had something to do |
| wonder that he didn't strangle me by the end | | | | with the number of tourists wandering around. |
| of it. It makes it really hard to tell a | | | | I remember moving out of the first few rooms |
| story if someone keeps interrupting you with | | | | quickly because we couldn't get near the |
| questions and comments.I assessed his stories | | | | displays for the press of people.While we had |
| about his own experiences as mostly true in | | | | been doing this, my mother had gone to |
| essence. There was probably some exaggeration | | | | investigate the bridge by daylight. I do not |
| or emphasis that comes from the storyteller | | | | think that any of us gave the story of the |
| aspect of his personality and from telling | | | | animals not wanting to walk past a particular |
| the story multiple times a week. I'd love to | | | | point much credence but the very specific |
| sit down with him over a couple of beers (or | | | | nature of it and precise identification of |
| a nice pot of tea as the case may be) and | | | | the location begged personal investigation |
| exchange stories in a more leisurely | | | | and experimentation. She reports that every |
| fashion.Anyway, before we moved off, he | | | | time she reached the particular point, she |
| handed out torches and explained the two | | | | felt violently ill. The first time this |
| rules. Rule 1: Don't shine the torches into | | | | happened, she thought it was a result of |
| people's homes and Rule 2: Don't get run | | | | suggestion and continued over the bridge, |
| over. Note: No lanterns. Torches. Like normal | | | | crossed the road and came back on the other |
| people.On to Richmond bridge. Lots of stories | | | | side where she felt fine. She repeated this |
| about that place. I'm not going to go into | | | | process 3 or 4 times in total, with identical |
| most of them here. The relevant one, for | | | | results each time.After leaving the gaol, and |
| later in this story, is that there is a point | | | | without hearing about the above experience, |
| on one side of the bridge that animals will | | | | my brother and I went straight down to |
| not walk past where, allegedly, the body of a | | | | investigate the same story about the bridge. |
| convict is entombed in the stonework of the | | | | We walked separately and slowly to the |
| bridge under that point. Not much in the way | | | | indicated spot, paying attention to any |
| of activity on the night. I felt uneasy | | | | unusual sensations that might come up as we |
| underneath the bridge but that could have | | | | approached. We stopped at the indicated spot |
| been as much because there was a black | | | | and compared results. My brother's initial |
| opening next to me that fell away to the | | | | impression was that there might be something |
| river and I couldn't see what was down | | | | there but it wasn't particularly active or |
| there... or what was coming up from there as | | | | particularly strong. I had noticed that, when |
| anything paranormal. Photos of the bridge | | | | I got within about 4' of the indicated spot, |
| show a few orb-like anomalies, but I am | | | | I started to develop a slight headache which |
| calling most of them water vapour (riverbank, | | | | cleared once I had moved beyond the spot. The |
| overcast evening, humidity around 65%, rained | | | | actual spot where the body is entombed is |
| later) or insects.Up to Richmond Gaol. A | | | | not, however, directly below the footpath. It |
| great place, if you measure it in terms of | | | | is a couple of feet out onto the road |
| suffering and so on that could well lead to | | | | according to the story. Bearing Rule 2 in |
| hauntings. Unfortunately, you can't get into | | | | mind, we waited until the traffic cleared and |
| it at night. Alan has tried to get permission | | | | no cars were in sight for as far down the |
| to take tours in there at night, but without | | | | road as we could see, and then we stepped |
| success so far. I'm pretty sure he doesn't | | | | simultaneously out onto a spot about 2' out |
| intend to stop trying. We were standing there | | | | onto the road."Oh!" I said in a most eloquent |
| when I became aware that I was feeling dizzy. | | | | manner whilst looking (I'm sure) like someone |
| Now for me, feeling dizzy is the most often | | | | had hit me over the back of the head with a |
| the result of one of two things. Either my | | | | housebrick.When we stepped onto that spot, I |
| blood pressure has rapidly dropped or there | | | | experienced what felt like a rush of energy |
| is a lot of energy moving around me. Standing | | | | coming up out of the road. We looked at each |
| in a room with 20 people practising reiki | | | | other and stepped back onto the footpath. |
| simultaneously, for example, has been known | | | | Standing in the middle of the road looking |
| to induce a similar feeling. Given the nature | | | | dumbstruck seemed like a stupid idea and a |
| of the location, I decided it was better to | | | | clear breach of Rule 2.Each of us then |
| err on the side of caution. I had been | | | | stepped separately onto (and back off) the |
| standing facing the wall of the gaol, but | | | | active spot. There was still something there |
| moved to stand side on to it instead so that | | | | when we entered the area separately but it |
| I would not be face on to anything coming out | | | | was nowhere near as definitive as when we |
| of there. Then I suggested to my guides that | | | | stepped onto it together. Photo taking |
| now might be the time for them to step in to | | | | followed, for reference if nothing else as I |
| protect me from anything negative, harmful or | | | | fully expected to see nothing odd in daylight |
| hurtful, if they didn't mind. Within 30 | | | | photos.Revisited the cemetery. My mother |
| seconds, the dizziness disappeared and did | | | | stayed in the car. My brother walked over |
| not return. I can't say that I felt any | | | | into it to see what he could feel. I got out |
| emotion or threat attached to the dizziness, | | | | of the car to take photos but stayed near it |
| I just felt dizzy.Caught one interesting | | | | to be somewhere in the middle in case either |
| light anomaly there. It was significantly | | | | of them needed help. My brother didn't pick |
| brighter than anything else caught on camera | | | | anything up. My mother said that all she knew |
| that night, seems to be located in a position | | | | was that we weren't meant to be there. (It |
| that does not have anything reflective to | | | | was ok for other people to be there, just not |
| cause it and, when viewed closely, seems to | | | | us.) As usual, I felt nothing out of the |
| have a halo effect. However, it is certainly | | | | ordinary but then I wasn't feeling all that |
| possible that it is a raindrop. Because it is | | | | receptive given the previous night's |
| taken outside, I can't discount that | | | | events.You may use part or all of this |
| possibility.On to the Congregational | | | | article on your blog, forum or website |
| Cemetery. We were going to walk into it. In | | | | provided that the statement and link below |
| fact, Alan and I were already near the first | | | | remains active and intact. |